Wesley Viola Expository Writing Dec.

13, 2013 Final Paper In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, one of the two central characters, The Misfit, is at once a villain and not a villain. Though his actions are unequivocally violent and criminal, the character himself does not seem to have an evil or brutish disposition; his manners are polite and he has a certain sophistication. OConnor reflects the strangeness of this character with certain details in the storys setting, creating an appropriately eerie atmosphere that emphasizes the meaningful, dual quality of The Misfit. The Misfit is a character with seemingly incompatible traits: he is genuinely both a gentlemen and a cold-hearted murderer. Judging from his appearance, speech, and gestures, he is distinctively civilized; the reader first sees him stepping out of a car wearing scholarly glasses and greeting the unfortunate family with a pleasant good afternoon(954). He never fails to address the grandmother either as lady or maam (955). Yet as The Misfit is polite, he is also malicious: as he holds a black hat in one hand (a respectful gesture upon meeting someone), he also holds a gun in the other. He apologizes to those Im sorry I dont have on a shirt before you ladies he shortly thereafter murders (956). The Misfits good manners are also not pretended as if he was mocking his victims for fun. Real concern for offending the ladies is seen in his body language as he hunches his shoulders slightly and looks up suddenly and then away deep in the woods as if he were

embarrassed (956). The Misfit is at once genuinely well mannered and extremely malicious. OConnor reflects the unique, frighteningly strange quality of the Misfits character in the storys setting. Several times the characters remark about the bizarre, almost impossible condition of the sky: Aint a cloud in the sky, [The Misfit] remarked, looking up at it. Dont see no sun but dont see no cloud neither (955). This eerie intermediate between a beautiful, sunny day and a dark, cloudy one closely parallels the seemingly impossible duality of The Misfits character. The image of the cloudless, sunless sky also emphasizes an important point of the story: it is possible, as in The Misfits case, to have good manners yet not be a good person just as it is possible for the sky to have no clouds yet no sun. This idea contrasts with the grandmothers understanding of what makes for a good person. For her, these necessary qualities are learned manners and outward appearance. Seeing no clouds in the sky, she considers it a beautiful day just as she can look at The Misfit and decide that he is good: Yes, its a beautiful day, said the grandmother. Listen, she said, you shouldnt call yourself The Misfit because I know youre a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell (955). Flannery OConnors story shows very strikingly with The Misfit that good manners, upbringing, and outward appearance do not necessarily make a person good. These are superficial qualities to take into consideration when judging a person. Ironically, the grandmother can only see these qualities when confronted

with The Misfit, yet The Misfit, on far lower moral ground, can see past them to the true moral character of himself and the grandmother.